Bearing and seal assembly for turbines



Feb. 7, 1950 H. R. STRICKLAND 2,496,397

BEARING AND SEAL ASSEMBLY FOR TURBINES Filed Aug. 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 42 3417s I80 l6 s 36 3e 40 42 FIG. I

Feb. 7, 1950 H. R. STRICKLAND BEARING AND SEAL ASSEMBLY FOR TURBINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug, 23 1944 L L L H L r I v \&

m0 mh INVE TOR d 25% Patented Feb. 7, 1950 BEARING AND SEAL ASSEMBLY roa runamas Henry R. Strickland, Hartford, Coma, assignor to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford,

Conn, a corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 1945, Serial No. 550,902

' 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a bearing and seal assembly for a turbine and is directed particularly to an assembly for use in an elastic fluid turbine.

The use of the Ljungstromtype of labyrinth seal is advantageous where space is limited. These seals must, however, be assembled axially by reason of the interengaging cylindrical flanges. A feature of this invention isa seal assembly by which the elements of the seal may be axially assembled as a unit and held in position when assembled. Another feature is the use of face splines for locking the elements of the seal against relative rotation.

Another feature of the invention is a bearing assembly including a plain bearing and a thrust bearing both forming a unitary sub-assembly.

Another feature is an oil seal forming a part of the seal assembly.

A feature of the invention is the unitary assembly of a labyrinth seal and the bearing structure all of which may be mounted on the shaft as a unit. Another feature is the piloting and mounting of this assembly in the supporting housing.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claim, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. l is a sectional view through the turbine.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional viewv on a larger scale of the front bearing and seal.

The turbine includes a casing ill and a rotor i2 both supported in a housing IQL The casin is supported by radially extending pins l6 carried by the housing and engaging bores in bosses l8 on the casing. These pins are all in substantially the same plane and constitute the sole support for the casing so that the casing is free to expand lengthwise. In the plane of the pins the casing is smaller than the housing and clearonce is provided at the inner ends of pins. IE to ermit the casing to expand radially.

Housing It has a head 20 which forms a part of the housing and supports a. bearing 22 for the front end of the turbine shaft 24 forming an integral part of the rotor. At the other end of the housing a spider 26 supports a bearing 28 for the turbine shaft. The spider has a number of legs 20 engaging radially positioned pins 32 carried by the housing.

Casing i2 is built up of several rings 34, 36, 38 and 40, each of which has a single row of nozzle forming guides 42. These rows of guides alter- 48 guides the driving fluid from the last row of-- blades on the rotor.

The turbine is made with substantially all of the pieces unsplit or continuous for ease of machining and to assist in reducing the leakage losses to permit assembly of the casing around the solid rotor. Casing rings 36, 28 and 40 are split and are bolted together and to each other in the assembly of the turbine. Diaphragm seals 50 carried by the diaphragms 52 of these casin rings are also split to permit assembly on the rotor. Seals 54 in line with the rows of blades on the rotor are clamped between adioining casing rings and, as will be apparent, these seals may be unsplit.

Beyond casing ring 40 is a ring 58 which carries rings 58 engaging the leading end of the exhaust duct. The latter is located by the same pins 32 that locate the rear bearing support.

The front bearingand seal are assembled as a unit. .As shown in Fig. 2 the bearing 22 engages with a, sleeve 62 having splines 64 at its outer end, Fig. 1, engaging with cooperating splines 68 on the turbine shaft. Sleeve 62 forms a bearing surface for the turbine shaft and has a projecting rib 68 one surface of which engages with a bearing ring 10 and the other surface of which engages a number of thrust shoes 12 carried by pins 14 in a ring 16 engaging the end of bearing 22. The opposite surface of rings 10 and 16 may be spherical to accommodate bending of the rotor. Bearing ring Ill engages with an inturned flange 18 on a sleeve which also supports bearing 22 between a projecting rib 82 and a clamping ring 86. With the ring 84 in place the bearing ring 10, the thrust bearing, and bearing 22 are held in assembled relation with sleeve 62. All of these parts may be continuous.

Adjacent to hearing 22 and between this bearing and the power section of the turbine is an oil seal 85 including a sleeve 88 fitting on shaft 24 and having face splines 90 engaging with cooperating splines on the end of sleeve .62. Sleeve 88 carries radially spaced sealing elements 92 cooperating with similar elements 94 on a stationary unsplit disk 96 clamped by screws 98 between a flange I00 on sleeve 80 and a flange I02 on a sleeve I04 that supports the "stationary elements of a labyrinth seal I05 which is located between the oil seal and the power section of the turbine.

nate with rows of blades 44 on the rotor. 'Bosses The labyrinth seal is made of unsplit pieces.

The seal includes an 3 inner sleeve Ill having a shoulder engaging a projecting rib II! on shaft 24. The end of sleeve I06 may have face splines Ill engaging with cooperating splines on the inner end of sleeve 88. The inner end of sleeve I" is out of engagement with turbine shaft 24 to prevent direct transmission of heat from the shaft to the seal. Sleeve I" supports a number of spaced sealing elements I I having cylindrical openings for receiving sleeve I08 and having interengaging face splines H2 at their adjoining edges. The elements IIO are locked in position between an outwardly extending flange on the inner end of sleeve I06 and a clamping ring Ill which, as shown, engages the sleeve I08 adjacent its outer end. Each of elements II! has a number of projecting cylindrical flanges I I4 cooperating with similar sealing flanges IIi carried by elements I I8 fitting within sleeve I04. The ele-' ments II8 have outer cylindrical surfaces engaging sleeve I04 and are clamped in position between an inturned flange on sleeve I04 and a clamping ring I20, the latter engaging sleeve I04 adjacent its outer end.

The labyrinth seal may be assembled as a unit. The elements of the oil seal may then be placed in position at the end of the labyrinth seal, and the bearing assembly is then connected to the seal assembly by the screws 88. A spacer ring I 22 may be clamped against flange I00 by the screws 98. The front bearing and seal assembly is held in place within a sleeve I24 by studs I26 engaging flanges I02. These studs have clamping nuts I21 accessible at the outer end of sleeve I24. sleeve I24 is an integral part of head 20. Referring to Fig. 1, sleeve 82 may be clamped securely on the turbine shaft by a threaded clamping ring I28 which clamps a splined sleeve,

I20 against the end of sleeve 62. This sleeve I 80 also holds sleeves 88 and I06 in position on the shaft.

The unsplit first stage nozzle ring 20 together with the inlet scroll and a flexible seal I68 are attached to the rest of the casing as a sub-assembly. The nozzle ring has previously been connected to an inner flange I" on the inlet scroll by bolts I12 which extend through flange I10, a flange I14 on the flexible seal, and a flange I16 extending inwardly from casing ring 34. An outer flange I78 on the inlet scroll and a co-.

- operating flange I80 on the first stage nozzle attachment of the scroll and nozzle ring directly to the second stage nozzle ring 88. The outer-end of'the flexible seal I68 is clamped by a ring I82 against a shoulder I", Fig. 2, projectins from sleeve I.

The casing and inlet scroll together with the front and rear bearing and seal assemblies having been mounted on the rotor, and housing I mounted in place by the pins I 4, the spider 28 being located by the pins 82, cap 28 fastened to housing I4 and the front bearing and seal assembly is located in predetermined relation to the cap by the studs I28. Accurate axial location of the rotor with respect to the casing may be obtained by a washer I 88 between spacer ring I22 and the end of sleeve I24.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the speciflc embodiment herein illustrated and described, but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claim.

I claim: e

A bearing assembly including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a rotary shaft and having a projecting flange, a stationary bearing support around the sleeve and having a cylindrical outer surface, a main bearing mounted in the support and engaging said sleeve, a clamping ring within the support and engaging the end of said bearing for holding said bearing in the support, and thrust bearing elements carried by the support ,and engaging opposite surfaces of said flange,

one of said thrust bearing elements being supported axially by the end of said main bearing.

HENRY R. STRICKLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATEs PATENTS 

